LibreOffice is the most popular free and open-source word document processing software and has been compared to the likes of MS Office Word and Open Office thanks to its familiar navigation, templating system, toolbars, custom styles, and efficiency, among other features.
The last time we published a comprehensive list of shortcuts was in the Most Useful Mac Keyboard Shortcuts You Should Know. If LibreOffice Writer is your go-to document for writing and editing office documents then read on.
Today’s article focuses on the shortcut list that you can familiarize yourself with in order to write and navigate LibreOffice writer with ease. The key commands listed below are the most on-demand shortcuts among users which makes us certain there is more than a handful for everyone.
Function Keys for LibreOffice Writer
Shortcut Keys |
Effect |
F2 |
Formula Bar |
Command +F2 |
Insert Fields |
F3 |
Complete AutoText |
Command +F3 |
Edit AutoText |
Shift+F4 |
Select next frame |
Ctrl+Shift+F4 |
Open Data Source View |
F5 |
Navigator on/off |
Command +Shift+F5 |
Navigator on, go to page number |
F7 |
Spellcheck |
Command +F7 |
Thesaurus |
F8 |
Extension mode |
Command +F8 |
Field shadings on / off |
Shift+F8 |
Additional selection mode |
Ctrl+Shift+F8 |
Block selection mode |
F9 |
Update fields |
Command +F9 |
Show fields |
Shift+F9 |
Calculate Table |
Command +Shift+F9 |
Update Input Fields and Input Lists |
Command +F10 |
Nonprinting Characters on/off |
Command+T |
Styles window on/off |
Shift+F11 |
Create Style |
Command +F11 |
Sets focus to Apply Style box |
Command +Shift+F11 |
Update Style |
F12 |
Numbering on |
Command +F12 |
Insert or edit Table |
Shift+F12 |
Bullets on |
Command +Shift+F12 |
Numbering / Bullets off |
Shortcut Keys for LibreOffice Writer
Shortcut Keys |
Effect |
Command +A |
Select All |
Command +J |
Justify |
Command +D |
Double Underline |
Command +E |
Centered |
Command +H |
Find and Replace |
Command +Shift+P |
Superscript |
Command +L |
Align Left |
Command +R |
Align Right |
Command +Shift+B |
Subscript |
Command+Shift+Z |
Redo last action |
Command +0 (zero) |
Apply Text Body paragraph style |
Command +1 |
Apply Heading 1 paragraph style |
Command +2 |
Apply Heading 2 paragraph style |
Command +3 |
Apply Heading 3 paragraph style |
Command +4 |
Apply Heading 4 paragraph style |
Command +5 |
Apply Heading 5 paragraph style |
Command + Plus Key(+) |
Calculates the selected text and copies the result to the clipboard. |
Command +Hyphen(-) |
Soft hyphens; hyphenation set by you. |
Command +Shift+minus sign (-) |
Non-breaking hyphen (is not used for hyphenation) |
Command +multiplication sign * (only on number pad) |
Run macro field |
Command +Shift+Space |
Non-breaking spaces. Non-breaking spaces are not used for hyphenation and are not expanded if the text is justified. |
Shift+Enter |
Line break without paragraph change |
Command +Enter |
Manual page break |
Command +Shift+Enter |
Column break in multicolumnar texts |
Option +Enter |
Inserting a new paragraph without numbering inside a list. Does not work when the cursor is at the end of the list. |
Option +Enter |
Inserting a new paragraph directly before or after a section, or before a table. |
Arrow Left |
Move cursor to left |
Shift+Arrow Left |
Move cursor with selection to the left |
Option +Arrow Left |
Go to beginning of word |
Option +Shift+Arrow Left |
Selecting to the left word by word |
Arrow Right |
Move cursor to right |
Shift+Arrow Right |
Move cursor with selection to the right |
Option +Arrow Right |
Go to start of next word |
Option +Shift+Arrow Right |
Selecting to the right word by word |
Arrow Up |
Move cursor up one line |
Shift+Arrow Up |
Selecting lines in an upwards direction |
Ctrl+Arrow Up |
Move cursor to beginning of the previous paragraph |
Option +Shift+Arrow Up |
Select to beginning of paragraph. Next keystroke extends selection to beginning of previous paragraph |
Arrow Down |
Move cursor down one line |
Shift+Arrow Down |
Selecting lines in a downward direction |
Option +Arrow Down |
Move cursor to beginning of next paragraph. |
Option +Shift+Arrow Down |
Select to end of paragraph. Next keystroke extends selection to end of next paragraph |
Command+Arrow Left |
Go to beginning of line |
Command+Arrow Left +Shift |
Go and select to the beginning of a line |
Command+Arrow Right |
Go to end of line |
Command+Arrow Right +Shift |
Go and select to end of line |
Command+Arrow Up |
Go to start of document |
Command+Arrow Up +Shift |
Go and select text to start of document |
Command+Arrow Down |
Go to end of document |
Command+Arrow Down +Shift |
Go and select text to end of document |
Command +PageUp |
Switch cursor between text and header |
Command +PageDown |
Switch cursor between text and footer |
Insert |
Insert mode on/off |
PageUp |
Screen page up |
Shift+PageUp |
Move up screen page with selection |
PageDown |
Move down screen page |
Shift+PageDown |
Move down screen page with selection |
Option+Fn+Backspace |
Delete text to end of word |
Option +Backspace |
Delete text to beginning of word In a list: delete an empty paragraph in front of the current paragraph |
Command+Fn+Backspace +Shift |
Delete text to end of sentence |
Command +Shift+Backspace |
Delete text to beginning of sentence |
Command +Tab |
Next suggestion with Automatic Word Completion |
Command +Shift+Tab |
Use previous suggestion with Automatic Word Completion |
Command+Option+Shift+V |
Paste the contents of the clipboard as unformatted text. |
Command + double-click or Command + Shift + F10 |
Use this combination to quickly dock or undock the Navigator, Styles window, or other windows |
Shortcut Keys for Paragraphs and Heading Levels
Shortcut Keys for Tables in LibreOffice Writer
Shortcut Keys for Moving and Resizing Frames, Graphics and Objects
Shortcut Keys |
Effect |
Esc |
Cursor is inside a text frame and no text is selected: Escape selects the text frame. Text frame is selected: Escape clears the cursor from the text frame. |
F2 or Enter or any key that produces a character on screen |
If a text frame is selected: positions the cursor to the end of the text in the text frame. If you press any key that produces a character on screen, and the document is in edit mode, the character is appended to the text. |
Option +Arrow Keys |
Move object. |
Option+Command +Arrow Keys |
Resizes by moving lower right corner. |
Option+Command +Shift+Arrow Keys |
Resizes by moving top left corner. |
Command +Tab |
Selects the anchor of an object (in Edit Points mode). |
Congratulations on making it to the end of the shortcuts list because you are now ready to enjoy the extra performance that every user deserves. Are there any nifty note-worthy keyboard commands that didn’t make it to the page? Feel free to post your suggestions below.
Are there shortcuts for other apps you would like us to publish? You’re welcome to make your requests in the discussion section as well.